Jayne Smeulders

Born in Dampier, Western Australia, Jayne began her ballet training at the Jody Marshall Dance

Company followed by further study at the Graduate College of Dance. In 1993 she received a

scholarship to finish her studies in Germany at Hamburg Staatsope GmbG Ballettschule. Before

joining West Australian Ballet in 1999, Jayne performed for four years with Nederlands Dans Theater

II touring most major theatres around the world and worked with many internationally acclaimed

choreographers including Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Paul Lightfoot, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin,

Lionel Hoche, Johan Inge and Gideon Obarzanek.

Over the past 17 years Jayne enjoyed dancing in countless Principal roles. Since returning to Perth,

she has choreographed a number of ballets to much acclaim for programs including Ballet Under the

Stars. In 2011, Jayne choreographed her first full length production for West Australian Ballet,

Cinderella.

Jayne was nominated for a Helpmann Award in 2003, awarded a WA Dance Award for Most

Outstanding Female Dancer in 2008. In 2009, she was awarded the West Australian Citizen of the

Year for her services to arts, culture and entertainment. In 2010 Jayne took a short break for the birth

of her son Cooper and returned to dance the role of Kitri in Lucette Aldous’ Don Quixote. Retiring in

2016, Jayne has now turned her focus to teaching and choreography.

Aurélien Scannella

Aurélien was born in Mons, Belgium. He completed his training at the prestigious Royal

Ballet School of Flanders and was subsequently accepted into the Royal Ballet of Flanders.

After three years he was appointed as a Soloist, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and then gained

Principal Dancer positions with the State Theatre Wiesbaden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and

Ballett Basel.

His repertoire includes all major classical ballets, as well as extensive experience in

contemporary styles after working with choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Angelin Preljocaj,

William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Maurice Béjart, Ray Barra, Valery Panov, Mauro

Bigonzzetti, Nacho Duato, Heinz Spoerli, Richard Wherlock, Uwe Scholz, Paolo Bortoluzzi,

Tomasz Kajdanski, and several Balanchine works.

During his dance career Aurélien participated in a number of international galas and festivals

around the world. For two years running, he took part in the “World Ballet Stars Festival” in

Kiev where he presented the pas de deux from William Forsythe’s acclaimed In the middle,

somewhat elevated with French dancer and wife, Sandy Delasalle. This was the first time

the pas de deux was presented in the Ukraine, and was described as ground-breaking by

the media.

Aurélien has participated in a number of benefit galas for AIDS and cancer, performing

various roles such as Le Corsaire, Gopak Variation, Swan Lake, Giselle and Don Quixote

pas de deux. For two years he was a member of the Berlin based “Gregor Seyffert &

Company” and participated in the European tour of Juan Carlos Garcia’s Light in Shadows.

In 2008 he decided to retire from his dancing career to focus on teaching, quickly becoming

one of the most sought after Ballet Masters in the industry.

Since then he has worked as a guest Ballet Master for Ballet Preljocaj, Scapino Ballet,

National Ballet of Portugal, Dutch National Ballet, Ballet d’Europe, Béjart Ballet Lausanne,

Bordeaux Opera Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet,

National Ballet of Estonia, Royal Swedish Ballet and Ballet du Rhin.

He has also taught master classes in Brussels, Paris, Rotterdam, Cannes and Tokyo.

Aurélien is also a jury member for the Youth America Grand Prix.

Sandy Delasalle

Use head shot from Romeo/Radio program

Sandy was born in Cannes, France. She completed her training at the Centre International

de Danse– Rosella Hightower and at the Académie de Danse Classique – Princesse Grace

in Monte Carlo. At the age of 17 Heinz Spoerli noticed Sandy at the Prix de Lausanne and

offered her a Soloist contract with the Basler Ballet. Five years later Sandy was appointed as

a Principal Dancer, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, followed by the State Theatre Wiesbaden,

Deutsche Oper Berlin and joined the Ballet du Rhin after the birth of her son.

Her repertoire includes the major roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Giselle,

The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, La Fille mal gardée and Coppélia, as

well as working extensively with great contemporary choreographers including Maurice

Béjart, Nacho Duato, Hans Van Manen, William Forsythe and Jiří Kylián.

During her dance career Sandy was a special guest artist with Ballett Frankfurt under the

direction of William Forsythe to perform In the middle, somewhat elevated, as well as with

Uwe Scholz in Leipzig, Youri Vámos in Dusseldorf and Richard Cragun in Berlin. In 1997,

she was nominated Best Upcoming Dancer by international ballet critics. She has also

participated in a number of international galas and festivals in New York (Metropolitan

Theatre), Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Kiev, Madrid, Istanbul, Paris, Los Angeles and Taipei performing

in various works such as Bahkti, Giselle, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet with her husband

Aurélien Scannella.

Charles Cusick Smith & Phil R Daniels

Charles and Phil work co-designing sets and costumes for ballet, opera, musical and drama

productions internationally. Their co-designs for ballet include the world premiere of Alice in

Wonderland for Ballet du Capitol in Toulouse, Pinocchio and the Golden Key in Germany and

Raymonda for Ballet Vanemuine in Estonia. Other designs for ballet include Spartacus and Giselle

with choreography by Irek Mukhamedov for Hong Kong Ballet and The Greek National Ballet, Giselle

for English National Ballet, four different productions of The Nutcracker in Tallinn, Northern Ballet

(UK), Maribor in Slovenia and for the Ballet du Capitol in Toulouse, The Three Musketeers with

Northern Ballet (UK), Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker and The Three Musketeers for

Estonian National Ballet in Tallinn.

Their opera credits include Aida, Der Rosenkavalier, Don Carlos, Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci,

Otello and Rigoletto in Germany, The Waltz Dream in Innsbruck, Il Trovitorye in Hong Kong and

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci in Tallinn.

They have designed many musicals together throughout Europe. Most notably the European

premieres of Stephen Sondheim's Follies and Pacific Overtures.

Recently thirty of their designs were acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for

inclusion in the permanent National Collection.

Phil trained at the Bristol Old Vic. He has designed work performed at the National Theatre (UK) and

for the BBC.

Charles trained at Glasgow School of Art and the Slade in London. He was awarded the T.M.A. Best

Designer Award and the Manchester Evening News award for Best Design.

Their current projects include Rocky Horror, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Gypsy Princess all in

Germany along with two new dramas in the UK - Henry III to commemorate 800 years of the signing

of The Magna Carta and Beatrix Potter and the Tailor of Gloucester to commemorate her birth 150

years ago.